Afghanistan: Sheberghan falls to the Taliban following US airstrikes

There are also reports of heavy fighting in Kunduz in the north and Lashkar Gah in the south. Violence has escalated across Afghanistan after US and other international forces began to withdraw their troops from the country, following 20 years of military operations. Taliban militants have made rapid advances in recent weeks, capturing large swathes of the countryside, and are now targeting key towns and cities. We get an update from the Afghan Defence Ministry and we hear from US analyst Laurel Miller - former acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the U.S. Department of State. Also on the programme: why families of victims of the 9/11 attacks have asked President Biden to stay away from twentieth anniversary memorial events; the Mexican government sues US gun manufacturers for fuelling drugs related violence; and India wins its first ever Olympic gold for athletics. (Photo: An Afghan security official patrol following an intense battle with Taliban militants, in Herat, Afghanistan Credit: EPA/Jalil Rezayee)